Janhitarth Seva sangathan
(Association for the benefit of the living.)
"Protecting the existence of the purifying of the deprived. "Baba Nagnath yogeshwar
Mahasmashanath mundir mahant
Manikarnika ghat Varanasi, U.P.
Mob: 9305218421
Water from the Ganges, these words are synonymous of purity. In our religion, Hinduism, the river Ganges, and its water, have a important status; wherever she goes, not a ritual, not a worship, can be done without her presence. The condition that this river is sacred today, and its waters, is obvious, but was it at this state before? We are ourselves responsible for this condition. If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that we are as responsible for this situation as the government. It is now unnecessary to dwell on the origin and descent of Ganga, yet it is necessary to have an idea of it in order to awake in us the consciousness of effort, perseverance and power which are hidden in his birth and his coming to us.
270 km east of Haridwar is a place called Gangotri. This place not easily accessible, is a bit more today thanks to roads and the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism. A 17-18 km away, there is another place, Gomukh, still difficult to access. Gomukh is the very spot where the water of our Mother Ganga first touched the earth.
The king Bhagirath, which for the release of his ancestors had done indescribable penances with inflexible perseverance, managed to bring Her upon the earth. Bhagirath handed you the responsibility of her future in your hands. The flow of Ganga, after descending on earth, was so powerful that the ashram of Janhu Rishi, who was on her road, was washed away in its powerful waves. The rishi, with anger retained the water on a single sip. He was finally satisfied of the penances and perseverance of Bhagirath and left the waters emerge from his thigh. From there it comes the name of Janhavi.
Because it emerges from the finger of Vishnu, it is also called Vishnoupadi (Issued from foot of Vishnu). Brahma collected Vishnoupadi in its camandalou (pot water ritual) and splashed it on earth to purify it. It felt with such power that the compassionate Shiva had to hold it on his tied hair. He left a net flow of water between two solid wicks. This is the water that is nowdays accessible without the slightest effort. Other stories tell of the relationship we are united with Ganga. We are from aryas, we are their descendants. As a result of this descent, we are connected to Ganga. At the time of Mahabharat, ie during the Dwapara yuga, the avatar Krishna was born. So, King Santanu married Ganga and they had to Bishma as son. He was, as his mother, idealistic and highly renowned for his kindness towards others. Bishma was sacrificed for the sake of Hastinapur.
It was necessary to write these things, so that we become aware of that, if everything happened for us, it is because we are rich from that water, so we must have a sense of dedication. We can act to improve its condition.
According to the Hindu religion, these waters ensure the purity of our present, our past and our future. Brahma Vishnu and Shiva, according to our records, all three are remarkable. They are the creators, protector and destructor of the creation. Those who are All for our sacred texts, what kind of relationship they have with Ganga? We have already answered that question earlier. The Lord of our city, the benevolent Shiva, brought the Ganges on his head. It is this that our Lord has given to his head, that we pollute. How shame on us!
The spiritual value of the waters of this river is given in one verse:
Vishnu paadaabja sambhute gange tripathgamini /
vikkhyaate paapam May hara jaanhavi / /
gangetiyo bruuyaad yojnaanaa shatairapi /
sarv paapebhyo vishnu lokanchya gacchati / /
Goswami Tulsidas gives it the power to confer the ultimate liberation by sight, touch, immersion or ingestion. For those of us who live in Kashi, these four acts are carrying fruits but we do not measure the content. In our city, people of all faiths live and use the water. But what is for Muslims the importance of this water? Some items will also encourage the faithful of this confession hoped the cleaning of the river. In "Akbar laws", it is mentioned that Akbar believed the waters of Ganga to be nectar of immortality. That was his faith in the Ganges. The great leader Aurangzeb, when he started traveling, was making Ganges water carried and used it on the road.
Utility and importance of water of the Ganges:
Some things are forcing us to have faith on Her and Her charisma. Even if one keep Ganga water for months, it did not develop worms and its purity remains intact. Since Gangotri to Gangasagar, during the long journey Ganges collects various medicinal plants, through high vibration places, and comes to us enriched of their land and their wood. All these elements infuse their properties in the waters and give the Ganges his charisma. Just a few stories were told by the elders and have been heard: One day, Baba Kinaram gave a great bhandara, on preparing the halwa on the ghat. But it came running out of sugar and ghi. To Kinaram orders, was added the water of the Ganges in place of ghi, and instead of sugar sand. Once cooked, it was delicious at all.
Even today, Kashi, or in any place where you put in the mouth of a dying a little water of the Ganges and a few sheets of Tulsi, this man knows moksha and is free from the circle of births and deaths. A reflection is necessary to know the immediate benefits of this river, and its spiritual benefits. Kashi is a tourist place, and many hotels and guesthouses have been built to accommodate its visitors. When tourists come to Kashi, their first desire is to see ghats from the river during a boat trip. For those who do pujas on the ghats, which called themselves "son of Ganga”, the Ganges is the nerve of their livelihood. From Rajghat to Assi, many fishermen live of the flow of the Ganges and of boat trips. Today, in Kashi, is the Mahashmashan, on which it is said that cremations are uninterrupted. Its greatness is due to water of the Ganges. Should we not pay attention to these descendants of Mahashmashan who, generation after generation, earn their needs on this place? In a Ekadashi, all honourable members of families Yadav, in charge of a container full of water on the head, after tireless efforts, offer to Bholenath. Do we not have a responsibility towards them too? Will they give to Baba a dirty water?
After asking who are responsible for the condition of Mother Ganga, we must give an answer for Her rehabilitation.
The first cause is our industry whose factories throw their waste into the river, as though it were a dustbin. The government says nothing because pockets of some senior officials will meet this trade. But we also play a role on this drama: we let in it our garlands, flowers and all the dirt of the ghats. People from villages in the Ganges flow half-burned body.
Despite all this, the waters of the Ganges remains pure and clean as its streams flow to outweigh everything. Our government has made such a work that, by building the dam Tehri, it stopped the natural course of Ganga. The argument is to create energy and facilitate fields irrigation. All this is necessary, but must we modernize with the price of our blood and draw a line under all that we know? Why our action is not a great success? Why does the government does not listen to us? The reason is that we do not dedicate to our religion as much as we should.
Today, any effort to do so is quickly discredited. But if we head on, everything is possible. Those who are part of the Hindu religion in our city, are in the majority. But they are not organized. Is the use of this water is forbidden to someone, or a caste? No, it belongs to everyone. We need to save this universal wealth, to meet together and to make a single effort.
A Kashi, there are such organizations and such persons that if they have the responsibility to, they can be able to make Ganga as clean as it is to Haridwar. We must save our beliefs. If today the Ganges becomes unfit for bathing and drinking, there may come a time where we would say: Here passed the Ganges.
Baba Nagnath Yogeshwar, pujari (officiating) Mahashmashan Sthitashutosh temple of Shiva, is undertaking a protest action. He pledged to fast until the natural flow of Mother Ganga is restored.
Many residents of Kashi, we owe it to those who love our religion, in India and the rest of the world, the success of this action so that the sacrifice is done and that, involving body and soul (and wealth), we save who is the support of our lives.
With body and soul into this project:
Representative:
Santosh Kumar Nigam The pious people of Kashi
(Kashi dharmanishth janta ka)
Translated in english by Nakul
For a french translation, ask the webmaster
Click on the picture to enlarge
